Hoards of bands exploded onto the scene armed with fast, energetic three-chord thrashes and angry passionate vocals. Much to the dismay of many big wig professionals, including the media industry, the punk scene thrived; the rebellion was in full flight. Despite the commercialisation that has took hold of punk music since it’s 70s hey day, underground punk scenes still live on deep in the hearts of many towns and cities, one of these being our very own Brum.  | | TV superstar?? |
Digbeth’s a main player in keeping the local scene alive; it’s proper old-fashioned pubs, complete with huge wooden bars, old wonky wooden furniture and vibrant but worn-down décor provide a perfect setting for punk bands to play. There’s no need for big stages and blinding lights, just good music and a pint of beer will do me fine Whilst making my film on the Brum punk scene I filmed a gig at the Market Tavern, one of my favourite old pubs in the area. The film was in the first Blast Friday programme on BBC 2 a couple of weeks ago and it’s hardcore proof that there is more to the musical side of Brum than the Carling Academy and the NEC, you just have to look a bit further.  | | D'Corner Bois |
I caught up with a few local punk bands at the gig, the first being D’Corner Bois. This foursome combine raw punk energy and strong political views with good sounds to create what bassist/vocalist Andy called, “great dance music, music to enjoy yourself to.” True to punk ideals, D’Corner Bois use music to get their views heard but are aware that at the end of the day, no matter what you’re saying it’s got to sound good. “First and foremost music’s got to be fun otherwise people aren’t going to be into it,” said Andy. “You’ve got to keep a balance. Preaching is one thing, but you’ve also got to entertain people.”  | | Me and Joe D'Corner Bois |
The strong point for them about the Brum punk scene was the social aspect, meeting people and working together with other local bands to keep the scene alive. Without, I might add, some record label big wigs telling them what to do, what to release, where to play, how to wipe their own… you get the idea. “We always have really great gigs when we go to small satellite towns in Birmingham,” said guitarist Ben. “We go and play there, they come and play here, you never stop meeting people, that’s what makes it so special,” said drummer Joe.  | | Radiation Angels |
Next up were a new young punk-hardcore band that go by the name of the Radiation Angels. They also found the punk scene in Brum to be like a ‘family’. “It’s a special collective,” said bassist Chris. “There’s us, and a few other bands local to Wolverhampton and we all stick together.” “We’ve got people that’ll promote us and people who’ll record you for free,” added guitarist Andy.  | | Drongos For Europe |
Drongos For Europe agreed to be interviewed for the film, this lot have been playing since 1979 so were quite keen to show people what punk is all about today. However, they did laugh at me when I asked if they think more commercial bands like Green Day and The Offspring still have a place within punk. Maybe I'm not so cool after all! Meeting these bands and finding out what they love about being punks was an enlightening experience. It’s good to know that people are out there doing it for themselves, breaking away from the mainstream music scene and sticking together.  | | Contempt |
The gig was organised by the local longstanding punk band Contempt’s drummer, Paul. I also caught up with him when we were filming; he puts on punk gigs across the city as well as being in a band. “The Market Tavern’s a great place to put gigs on. There’s also Scruffy Murphy’s, the skate park, and loads more. There’s always somewhere we can play.” Cupid Stunt are a local punk/ska/reggae female band and guitarist Sam was at the gig, she reckons the Brum punk scene is pretty spesh too, and it’s not all about how you look.  | | Counting piercings...32! |
“I like to think that it’s really welcoming, as long as you’re not a bigot or racist or anything. You don’t need a Mohawk either; you’ve just got to have a good attitude.” There’s so many local punk bands in Brum, which is cool because it just goes to show that Birmingham’s not all about shopping, nor does the city’s musical talent reach only the big venues and is comprised of massive money-driven bands in the mainstream music scene. Birmingham offers something that little bit different, so get down to Digbeth, if you’re willing to look a bit further. | 
